5 Ways I Use Weekends To Be a Better CEO

When I first started Mashable in 2005, I had no work-life balance. Weekdays blended into weekends blended into weekdays. On an average night, I’d get a few hours of sleep and get back to work – and I did this every day for several years.

Up until about two and half years ago, I also served as weekend editor of Mashable, and it was often the most stressful time of the week. By the time Monday came around, I was exhausted and ready to have a weekend!

Those early years were incredibly busy and intense, but it provided me the opportunity to learn about the importance of having time set aside to decompress from work, and I feel as though I become a better professional with every passing weekend because of this.

I recently asked my connections and followers on LinkedIn how they use their weekends to prepare for the week ahead. Many noted that they use it to get work done ahead of time, catch up on work they didn’t get to during the past week or get away from work altogether.

The variety of responses was nice to read, and it forced me to sit back and really reflect on how I use my weekends. What I came to realize is that without thinking about it, I have created a strong weekend routine that allows me to recharge and better prepare for the next week.

Below is my list of five things I try to do every weekend to keep me on track for success during the week.

1. Call my mum

Mashable began in Scotland, but I now live in New York City, where Mashable’s headquarters is based.

The weeks are normally quite busy, so Saturdays have become a day for me to catch up with my mum, who still lives in Scotland. This call has become an important part of my week and one I look forward to. It is a call where I don’t have to think about or discuss work, and we usually end up talking about another important someone still in Scotland – my dog.

Lesson: Make time for friends or family, even if it’s just a phone call or Skype chat. It will help put the stress of the workweek in perspective and remind you of what’s important.

2. Decompress by any means necessary

Recharging from work on the weekends is critical, no matter how you do it. There are a few things I do every weekend that have become great traditions.

Music may be the most important complement to anything I do on the weekends. Outside of just listening to music, I play the guitar and I’m also learning how to play the keyboard. Learning how to play a new instrument in my free time is challenging, but it allows for me to invest my attention and efforts into a new creative outlet. Plus, as all you amateur musicians will agree, there’s no better feeling than learning a new song!

I also need to spend some time outside on the weekends, and I normally take a trip to Central Park. Spending most of my days staring at screens during the week, this time away from that world is greatly needed. It’s not a completely tech-free trip, though – I typically listen to music or unwind with an audiobook.

Lesson: No matter what you do to divert your thoughts from work, spend some time doing that. I usually find some of my best ideas for Mashable come while doing things that are meant to divert my mind from it.

3. Get Inspired

This might be the most important part of my weekends. I spend the week in meetings talking about “what’s next…” or thinking about the future of Mashable. These are some of the most inspiring weekly discussions, but it can also create tunnel vision.

What I love about weekends is that it allows for me to purposely broaden my views on topics that are typically outside my wheelhouse of knowledge. I watch a lot of TED Talks, and look specifically for dense topics outside of my industry that push me to understand the material.

One of my favorite Mashable stories recently was a TED Talks list of life-changing speeches. I advise you to spend some time watching these, and then let me know your favorites.

I also spend time reading on weekends – especially non-fiction. I recently finished Malcolm Gladwell’s book David and Goliath, which was part of Mashable's MashReads book club.

Lesson: Never stop learning. Use your weekends to consume knowledge that may not be completely applicable to your career, but will help you become a more well-rounded and creative person.

4. Catch up on what I’ve missed during the week

Yes, I admit it. I don’t completely abandon work on the weekends.

I can’t keep up with everything during the week, so I set aside time to catch up on important industry news that I missed. Now that Google Reader is dead (R.I.P!), I use the news aggregator Feedly to collect all my news.

This gives me a chance to consume a lot of content, while also doing it with a clear head. I can catch up on some of the latest innovations and really think about how this impacts my team.

But to avoid getting sucked down a rabbit hole and spending hour upon hour reviewing news, I set aside a set amount of time, and I’ll try to consume as much as I can in that allotted period.

Lesson: You don’t have to avoid real work over the weekends, but set limits for the amount of time you spend doing it. Don’t lose your weekends to work.

5. Get rest

I think this is the perfect way to come full circle on this post. As I stated at the beginning, I spent too much time working and too little time sleeping when Mashable was in its infancy.

Today, I may not work as many hours, but I work much more effectively and efficiently. And much of this is due to the time I spend away from the daily grind.

Lesson: Make time for recharging your batteries. Getting rest on the weekends can help make you a more efficient professional during the week.

Each piece I’ve noted above may be simple, but they are essential to what I do. These weekend routines help me stay clear and focused on my goals for the company.

How do you use your weekends? I’ll make sure to spend a part of my weekend reading your thoughts and learning from your routines!

Image: Pete Cashmore/Instagram